Flexible rubber retaining net for light-weight items

ABSTRACT

A flexible, rubber-like restraining net ( 6 ) comprised of a plurality of communicating cords ( 8 ) spaced to form a plurality of apertures ( 10 ) to allow the passage of water or gas. Said cords ( 8 ) drape over and contact items ( 14, 16, 18 ) within a rack ( 12 ) so as to prevent dislocation during the application of force. In addition, said cords ( 8 ) may contain textures ( 20, 22, 24, 26 ) that increase friction with said restrained items ( 14, 16, 18 ).

CROSS-REFERNCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION—FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to retaining devices, specifically to devicesthat are used to prevent items in a dishwasher from inverting orrelocating during the wash cycle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Light-weight plastic food containers and dishes are commonplace intoday's kitchens. One significant drawback to routinely using suchlight-weight items is the tendency of the items to invert from the jetsof water while being cleaned in automated dishwashers. Because theinversions usually cause the items to fill with dirty water, the itemshave to be rewashed with no guarantee that they will not invert again.Also, light-weight lids and accessories for food containers frequentlybecome dislodged and relocate within the washer, sometimes resting onthe heating element in the washer thus becoming permanently damaged.

Several inventions have been previously disclosed that describe devicesintended to restrain loose and light-weight items during automateddishwashing. Several of the previously-described inventions describecages or rigid restraining devices intended to contain small items suchas silverware, baby bottle nipples, or containers of fixed dimensions(U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,322 to Fiocca, U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,051 to Crawford,U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,993 to Llewellyn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,125 toInsalaco, U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,958 to Frangos, U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,220 toMalmstrom). Whereas these devices constrain small items or items withspecific dimensions, they are not intended to prevent the inversion ofthe myriad of larger light container and lid designs common in mostkitchens and are not of general practical usefulness.

Another general class of dishwasher restraining devices involves the useof a net drawn over the items in the washing rack. U.S. Pat. No.3,982,799 to Murray and U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,126 to Davis describecomplicated devices that allow the mechanical application and retractionof a net over the items in the racks of a dishwasher. Thesemulti-component inventions require the installation and maintenance ofrollers or pulley systems into the dishwasher. In addition to beingconvoluted, these inventions apply the net across the top of thedishwasher rack. As will be discussed further below, a tight net drawnacross the top of the items will not prevent the inversion of items tooshort to contact the net.

A common design element of other simpler net-like restraining devicesfor dishwashers is the attachment of the net in some physical manner tothe edges of the dishwasher rack. U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,206 to Cunningham,U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,806 to Matern, U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,019 to Sandbank,U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,843 to Elder, U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,826 to Zimmermann,D338,750 to Chandler, U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,008 to Dunaway, D368,340 toMussmacher, D398,091 to Badgett, U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,406 to Leipziger,and D471,679 to Henzey all describe restraining nets that attach to thedish rack. In each case, attaching the net to the rack causes the net tobecome tightly drawn over the highest items in the rack. This featurelimits the usefulness of the restraining devices to items as tall as ortaller than the dish rack. In addition, if a tall item is placed underthe net, it lifts the restraining net up and way from any other smalleritems in the rack defeating the purpose. Many of these “tight-net”designs also require custom fasteners or design elements which may notbe suitable for broad use in the wide variety of dishwasher rackscurrently in use.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,890 issued to Clark describes a device that uses aplurality of hinged plastic panels to restrain items in the dish rack.Whereas this design overcomes the limitations of the “tight-net” designsdescribed above in that it can conform to the landscape of the items, itis only able to do so in one of the two dimensions of the rack.Additionally, this design makes use of rigid plastic panels that do notgrip the items in the rack so it is possible for smaller items to flipwhen sufficient force is imparted from the jets of water.

U.S. patent D398,090 issued to Busby describes the ornamental design ofa dishwasher net. Whereas this patent illustrates a dishwasher net ofsimilar overall appearance to the presented invention described below,it is unclear how the Busby design is intended to be implemented: whatmaterial it is to be made of, whether or not it is to be attached to therack, how flexible it would be, etc. Also, the flat nature of the ribsof the design presented by Busby would impede proper water circulationagainst the surfaces of the restrained items.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION—OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

The objects and advantages of my submitted invention are as follows:

-   -   (1) to provide a restraining net that uses no fasteners;    -   (2) to provide a restraining net comprised of a single, molded        piece;    -   (3) to provide a restraining net made of very flexible material        (preferably silicone) that loosely drapes over items of        different heights in the dishwasher rack;    -   (4) to provide a restraining net made of a soft rubber material        (preferably silicone) that grips the items in the dishwasher;    -   (5) to provide a restraining net with cylindrical webbing to        permit access of water against the restrained surfaces;    -   (6) to provide a restraining net with openings small enough to        restrain a wide variety of items, yet large enough to permit        efficient passage of water; and,    -   (7) to provide a restraining net that will work in a wide        variety of dishwasher designs.

SUMMARY

The presented invention comprises a one-piece silicone restraining netwith cylindrical webbing that loosely drapes over the items in adishwasher rack.

DRAWING—FIGURES

In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number butdifferent alphabetic suffixes.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a restraining net with a square gridlattice of cords.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a restraining net positioned within adishwasher rack.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a retaining net draped overvarious items in a dishwasher rack.

FIG. 4A to 4D show examples of cross-sections of cords that may be usedto alter retention performance. DRAWINGS-Reference Numerals 6restraining net 8 cords 10 aperture 12 dishwasher rack 14 restrainedtall vessel 16 restrained short vessel 18 restrained vessel lid 20smooth surface 22 textured flat surface 24 moderately-angled edge 26sharply-angled surface

DETAILED DESCRIPTION—FIGS. 1, 2, and 3—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of the restraining net of the presented inventionis schematically depicted in FIG. 1 (perspective view), FIG. 2(perspective view within dishwasher rack), and FIG. 3 (cross-sectionillustrating sufficient flexibility to contact items of variousdimensions). The restraining net 6 is composed of series of connectedcords 8 composed of a flexible rubber-like material that possessessufficient friction against the surfaces of items 14, 16, 18 within adishwasher rack 12 so as to prevent the items from relocating during thewash cycle. In the preferred embodiment, the net is composed of amaterial that can withstand repeated exposure to harsh environments(heat, bleaches, detergents, etc.) imposed by dishwashers and stillretain flexibility and other rubber-like qualities. The material shouldalso present a relatively smooth surface to minimize the accumulation ofdebris. Polymerized silicone rubber (as is used in high-quality caulksand adhesives) has demonstrated such preferable qualities in prototypesof the present invention, although any soft, rubber-like material can beused as long as it is sufficiently flexible to drape over and contactsaid items 14, 16, 18 within said dishwasher rack 12. The cords 8 of thenet may also be composed of composites composed several differentmaterials, for example, a strong, flexible inner cord or fiber with anouter rubber-like coating.

In the preferred embodiment of the restraining net, the thickness of thecords 8 should be sufficient to provide strength against breakage, yetthin enough to allow maximum flexibility (typically 0.4 to 0.8 cm forsilicone rubbers). In FIGS. 1 to 3, the cords 8 of the net presented ashaving uniform thickness throughout the net 6; however, there can be anycombination of thicknesses or materials throughout the webbing of thenet 6 to allow for optimized restraining and strength performance.

The apertures 10 formed by the cords 8 should be small enough to preventthe passage of commonly-washed items, yet large enough to allow amplewater passage during washing, typically 4 to 7 cm. The number of cords 8in the net should be sufficient to provide contact with several of thevertical pins of the dishwasher rack 12 when the net 6 is movedlaterally by a small distance (approximately 1 to 3 cm). This embodimentallows for greater retention performance because the vertical forcesapplied by the dishwasher are generally only applied to small regions ofthe rack 12 at any given time. If a region of items in the rack 12 isnot sufficiently weighted or restrained to prevent motion, the items andthe covering net 6 move vertically. The vertical motion translates to alateral displacement of the surrounding net 6. As the surrounding net 6moves toward the point of vertical displacement, the cords 8 come intocontact with the vertical pins of the dishwasher rack and preventfurther lateral movement, which, in turn, prevents the items from risingsufficiently so as to become dislodged.

Although the net 6 is presented in FIGS. 1 to 3 as a uniform, squaregrid (for ease of illustration), the grid design can be any pattern orcombination of patterns that enhance function. For example, one sectionof the net can contain a finer mesh of adjacent rhomboid shapes for verysmall items or a courser mesh of concentric circles for very largeitems. Additionally, some dishwashers require a larger opening in thecenter of one or both of the racks to function properly; therefore, therestraining net 6 may also contain design alterations to accommodatesuch features.

In the preferred embodiment, the overall dimensions of the restrainingnet 6 roughly match the dimensions of a typical household dishwasherrack (45 to 55 cm). This size allows for complete coverage of the itemswithin the rack and was sufficient to prevent items from invertingduring testing of prototypes. However, the dimensions of the net 6 mayalso be substantially smaller or larger than the rack. A larger designwould allow the user to roll the excess to one side during routine use,or fold the excess back over the rack for multiple layering andincreased retention.

FIGS. 4A-4D—Alternate Embodiments

Several design alterations may improve the performance of the retainingnet 6. In FIG. 4A, a cross section of cord is shown with a smoothsurface and a cylindrical shape 20 as described in the preferredembodiment. Other cross-sectional shapes and surface designs may improvethe performance of the retaining net, some examples of which arepresented in FIGS. 4B to 4D.

In FIG. 4B, the top and bottom surfaces of the cord contain a texturedsurface 22 that serves to increase contact with the restrained items yetstill allows the passage of water for cleaning, drainage, and drying. InFIG. 4C and 4D, the entire surface of the cord 24, 26 is angled topromote drainage and increase friction with the restrained items.

Operation—FIGS. 2 and 3

The simple operation of the present invention is what sets it apart fromother restraining devices. The restraining net 6 is simply extendedlaterally over the items in a rack as in FIG. 3 and loosely draped oversaid items so that the net contacts as much surface area of the items asis reasonably possible. The rack is then placed into a washer for thecleaning and drying cycles. The weight of the net, combined with thefriction against restrained items or features of the rack serve tominimize vertical motion when force is applied from the jets of water ordrying air. In doing so, the utility of the invention is manifest inpreventing the inversion of items that lack sufficient weight. Whenrestraint is no longer needed, the net 6 is lifted from any portion andremoved. In some instances, peeling the rack up from the edge may proveeasier.

Between uses the restraining net 6 can be stored by hanging, rolled andplaced in into a drawer, or laid flat on a counter. In using prototypes,it was discovered that the rubbery gripping nature of the net makes anexcellent friction surface between cutting boards and counter tops andthat feature made the storage of the device on the counter beneficialbetween uses.

Advantages

As mentioned above, the simple construction and use of the restrainingnet make the presented design and implementation unique:

-   -   (a) Unlike several previous inventions designed to restrain        items, the current invention is composed of a single, molded net        that greatly simplifies manufacture, eliminates cavities for        debris to settle, and eliminates independent moving parts.    -   (b) The highly flexible, rubber-like material allows for the net        to settle along more surface area of the restrained items and        also allows items of differing heights to be restrained        simultaneously without the net “tenting” over the highest items        in the rack.    -   (c) The use of a material that is impervious to the harsh        environments within a washing machine provides an advantage over        several inventions that use metals, fabrics, or plastics that        can corrode or weaken over time.    -   (d) The flexible nature of the netting combined with the lack of        physical connectors allows a single design pattern and size to        be used to restrain items in many different rack designs. This        “universal” applicability greatly expands the utility of the        presented restraining net and allows a manufacturer to market a        single design. It also permits use of the same restraining net        if the user wishes to restrain items in several different racks.    -   (e) To function properly, the restraining net requires no        modification of the equipment in which it is to be used.

The above descriptions of the present invention are not intended tolimit the utility and scope of the invention, but rather to provide thereader with examples of the current preferred embodiment. For example,the device may incorporate design changes to the composition material,the surface topology, the netting pattern, or size for a particularimplementation.

Therefore, the appended claims (not the examples presented above) shouldbe used in defining the scope of the invention.

1. A device for restraining items within a dishwasher comprising a netof material having a plurality of communicating cords, the improvementwherein said net requires no attachment to said dishwasher.
 2. The netof claim 1 wherein the apertures formed by said cords allows the passageof water and gas.
 3. The net of claim 1 wherein the apertures formed bysaid cords permits the passage of components of said dishwasher.
 4. Thenet of claim 1 wherein said cords are flexible.
 5. The net of claim 1wherein the said cords are composed of silicone.
 6. The net of claim 1wherein the said cords are composed of a plurality of materials.
 7. Thenet of claim 1 wherein said cords have surface features that enhancefriction.
 8. The net of claim 1 wherein said cords have surface featuresthat enhance water drainage.
 9. A method of restraining items,comprising: (a) providing a net of communicating cords comprised of aflexible material, having said cords spaced to allow the passage ofwater and gas, (b) placing said items into a rack, (c) placing said netonto said items so that it drapes over and contacts said items, wherebysaid net restrains the vertical displacement of said items upon exposureto forces imparted from liquid and/or gas.
 10. The method of claim 9wherein said cords are composed of silicone.
 11. The method of claim 9wherein the surface of said cords is textured to enhance friction.